It's Just One Night
by Mainstream Insanity
Summary: Jackie wakes up after a wild night she doesn't quite recall and finds herself in an unfortunate position. Now it's the morning after, what do you say? What do you do? And why did it have to be him? It's not completely finished I just don't know how to go on with it just yet. These are complicated characters...
1. Waking up

Jackie lay prone on the bed, her eyes trying to adjust to the bright morning sun coming in the vast windows behind her head. This was not her apartment, though as aware of her surroundings as she usually was, there was the feeling of familiarity. If even for a brief moment. Think, Jackie! Think…nope. Not yet. Alright so, what did she remember from last night? Usually these uneasy mornings had a perquisite of drug use, but it had been ten months by now, and she didn't remember popping any pills. After all, when she'd crashed into Kevin's car and been given the prescription for the Oxy she'd bought heating pads. Her head was heavy and she felt groggy and slightly uneasy about where she was, she was hung-over.

Somewhere to the left of her, pipes groaned and the sound of water hitting stone erupted. Someone was in the shower.

Jackie frowned, sitting up on the smooth sheets curled around her and pulled them up over her chest. Though at this point, whoever she had been with had already seen her naked so there was probably little point in covering it up. The back of her throat was dry and scratchy, she looked around her, trying to take in as much of the room as her tired and strained eyes would let her, though zeroed in on the cup of water sitting on the night stand beside her and the two tabs of alchezelter beside that. The table itself was dark mahogany though the lamp sitting on it seemed to be something newer and less expensive. The bed she was laying on was covered in normal cotton sheets though they had a sort of sateen feel to them and were in varying shades of brown to cream. The rest of the room was a cream color as well with dark, hardwood panels. There was no actual door leading into the bathroom, just a large, rectangular opening that led into a separate room where the hardwood became black tile. Ahead of the bed and slightly to the right was the opening that led out of the room. It was much like the one into the bathroom, though the hardwood continued in a relative straight shot to the vast nothingness beyond her sight.

Turning, she dropped the little white tabs into their watery grave and watched them fizzle, getting lost for a moment in the bubbles rising, before she drank a few sips, winced and started to move out of the bed. Her clothes were scattered and what she actually put on wasn't even hers. It was a dress shirt, sort of a pinkish color, there was a paisley tie somewhere near that on the floor. Jackie grimaced, though pulled the shirt around her small frame anyhow, buttoning it up slowly; she pushed her tussled blond hair from her face. She had no idea where her hair tie was so for the time being, it just hung there, limp over her shoulders. She felt 20 years younger. And it had been a long time since she was a one night stand.

"Now…who do I know that wears paisley and pink?" Well O'Hara owned a pink Versace, or was it Gucci? Either way, she had not gone home with O'Hara. Aside from the fact that her friend was in London again, she wouldn't be waking up like this if she had. And this was neither of those, and pulling the shirt upwards a little she turned it so she could see the tag and frowned once more, creases growing on her face. It was Armani. Alright, so who wears Armani in pink and a paisley tie? Coop…no. Fitch Cooper wore nice clothes surely, but this…it would have had to be a _very_ wild night for that to happen. And the cop? Not likely, he had two kids; this place was not a kid friendly apartment. She could tell that already.

A feeling of hot dread suddenly washed over her and she sat back on the bed, dropping her head into her hands and clamping her eyes shut. Memories of the previous night were coming back.


	2. How did we get here?

This hadn't exactly gone the way he'd planned. Then again, to be honest he didn't really have a plan. Things had changed so much in the past year, what the hell was he supposed to do or say anymore?

**Charlie. **

He should have spent more time with the boy or tried harder or maybe he shouldn't have fought so hard for custody in the first place but really, would his mother have been any better? She was as emotionally unavailable as he was, if not more so. No wonder their son was now buried below their feet. And still, he probably didn't see him as much as he should. But he couldn't. There was some part of him that still blamed that nurse bitch for everything but really, she had been more of a friend, more of a help to his son than his own father. Perhaps that was what had burned him up so much. A stranger had been there for the boy he'd been so happy to see born, and so happy to raise until everything crashed down around him. His career came up and became more important, and maybe that's the downside of being a parent, sometimes your priorities get screwed up and you don't realize what's important, what's really important until it isn't there anymore.

The last time he had seen Jackie Peyton, it had been the night Charlie died. She'd left him after he'd yelled at her and tried for another twenty minutes or so to work on his son, even though he knew he was dead and there was nothing more that could be done. He was angry and hurting, that familiar pain in his chest once more. Damn anxiety attacks, they'd be the death of him one day. Though the way he had been feeling about then, why was it taking so long? Mike had gone up to Maternity for some reason, maybe to scream at Jackie, maybe to kick her out but the sight of the little baby boy in O'Hara's arms and Peyton standing there with tears in her eyes as she looked down onto the fresh faced baby boy, he couldn't say anything. He walked out of the room, out of the hospital and with him went Quantum Bay.

Truthfully the funding was still there but the overwhelming protection and everything that had come with him, disappeared. The hospital was back to running itself and while the patients never saw a change, there had been one in the nurses of the ER. To be honest, right then he didn't care about that hospital, or those people or even the nurse he so despised. He had to bury his son, call his ex-wife and tell her the news and attempt to pick up the pieces of his life that now lay in shambles around him.

That was six months ago.

Cruz was still living in his condo, the same one he'd been in the first time he realized that his son and Peyton had some kind of connection. His son's room was still the same, though the door had been closed for several months before that. Now the door lay open, with his cellphone on the charger, blinking once or twice at him. He had gone in there yesterday, in the afternoon to try and face down the demons that lived in that room when he'd noticed there were at least four messages from Jackie Peyton on his son's phone.

"What the –" Cruz stared down at her sideways glare on her son's phone and frowned at it. He wanted to scream at the phone and felt the heat of overwhelming heartache hit him once more though this time he ignored it. He had pressed the voicemail button.

Most of the messages are asking how he is, telling him about her day and the things she's been through. How her divorce is going and she wonders if he had to watch his parents go through this too and maybe that's what made him the way he was. She doesn't want to see her daughter do the same thing but it feels like that's exactly what is happening. The last one is more recent, probably two days ago, talking about how her birthday is basically fucking her over. It would figure wouldn't it? Still, the boy has been dead and the best she has to talk to is his phone. As angry as he is, there's some part of Cruz that can't blame her for it. But the anger reigns supreme.

He had been called back to All Saints because of Akalitus' memory loss while she was on the floor, Quantum Bay was reassigning him as much as he didn't want to go back into that place again, he didn't want to deal with those people or see that nurse, he had to confront her. Yesterday had been normal, he walked back in to groans and glares from most though Zoe was her usual upstanding and bouncy individual.

"Now obviously, we had our problems the last time and I'm here to make sure that things continue to run smoothly. Until further notice Akalitus has been removed from her position, putting me back behind that desk until we know what is causing her slip. We all can get along here; I want to make this as easy as possible."

Most people ignored him, continued working or what have you. Peyton had come in, tossed him a surprised expression but had turned away from him, walking over to check on a patient and for the time being he hadn't done much else towards her. Seeing her again, he lost what he'd been going to say. She was sober, that was nice. She looked tired though, and really causing a scene wasn't what he'd had in mind. It doesn't exactly demonstrate unity amongst the staff when a doctor is yelling at a nurse.

Once the night was over and it was a long night, Cruz had followed Jackie out and took her arm, planning to confront her about her calling Charlie's phone, she wasn't his to talk to, she wasn't his mother she was just a friend of AA. That's all…

As the hot water beat down on his back now, Cruz closed his eyes and wondered how the hell they got to this place?


	3. What now?

Jackie wasn't exactly too keen on walking into the bathroom, she had a pretty good idea who it was she went home with and if the scratch marks on her back were any evidence of it, she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to approach this either. How do you handle a one night stand with a man who hates you? If it was Kevin, it would be in her house and the fighting would likely start after an uneasy breakfast, once the girls were out of the house and couldn't hear them anymore. If it were Coop, as soon as she woke up she would have been out of there, gone home and washed every inch of her body. And that wasn't because she didn't like him but it was a professional likeness, she tolerated him. But she knew, once she'd really started to think about it, where she was. Even though how she got there was still up in the air a bit.

Cruz had taken her by the arm and her immediate reaction had been to hit him, though of course she tried not to act on her first thoughts very often, especially when they led to some kind of abuse of a person she worked with. And especially him.

"Have you lost your mind?!" She had exclaimed at him fervently.

"You've been calling my son's phone? Who the hell do you think you are? You are not his mother; you're not anyone of any importance!"

"Yes…yes I've been calling Charlie's phone. The only person who could come anywhere near to where I am in my life was a teenage kid denounced by his father!"

He had looked like he was going to hit her, his brow furrowing though he didn't. And somehow that surprised her; honestly it almost let her down. It had been months for her, the stress with Kevin, the constant badgering from Eddie, her best friend had moved and while she had the attention of a good man she didn't think she deserved him because of everything she was, everything she could be at the drop of the hat.

He took her arm again.

"Get in."

That black SUV again, they rode in silence as he took her back to his apartment. The man had never once tried to figure out where she lived and maybe, as she thought about it now, that was a good thing. When they had reached the condo, he'd gotten out and so had she, he motioned for her to follow him, which she did though hadn't the slightest idea why. Once inside the door the two had stood in silence, contemplating one another, one beast staring down the other before Cruz made the first move. He walked into his kitchen and poured two glasses of straight whiskey from under the counter.

Silence remained between them, she had taken the drink and sat, with that characteristic sideways, though attempt to be comforting, smile on her thin lips, watching the man as he drank. He'd finish one, wait a moment, she'd finish hers, and he'd pour another. This continued until the bottle was empty.

One thing about being an addict is the ability to hold your substances, she was intoxicated but not far gone enough to not be able to walk out of the house yet. Of course, he had driven, so she'd basically be getting a cab home. She had gotten up to move when Cruz had caught her, once more. Though this time his massive hands were in her hair, his lips were on hers crushing them and forcing her into a situation where she felt she had to struggle to catch a breath. She had tried to push him back but there was desperation in her as well. Mike Cruz was just another broken soul struggling to find something that would take the pain in his heart away, even for a few hours. She gave in to him, submitting to him.

The sex was rough, it was violent and by the end of it the two had fallen in a heap of sheets and pillows onto his bed, the silence spreading between them once more.

_What now?_

That was the thought that hit her as she was pulled into sleep last night and the thought that was in her head now as she walked into the kitchen to find their glasses still on the island, along with his belt and her scrubs' top.

"What now?"


	4. Morning talks

The question was answered rather easily. As Jackie stood there staring at the counter, an empty bottle of whiskey and the two used glasses, perhaps it was her mom nature that inclined her to clean up the mess in front of her. Moving over to the sink, she immediately began washing, not only the glasses from that night but those that sat in the sink. It looked like he's been drinking most of his meals, and from Cruz, she had expected better. He always appeared to be a strong man but truthfully, if Grace was ever brought into the hospital the way Charlie had been, she wasn't entirely certain she would be able to maintain this clean and sober life either.

The sound of beating water finally rounded to a stop and Jackie froze in the kitchen for a moment or two, feeling a bit like a deer in the headlights. She had a mind to make breakfast and then they could talk. Talk about what exactly? The sex last night had been rough though somewhere in the middle of it the anger seeped out of him and Cruz became an almost passionate lover. This man was divorced three times? Good lord, Jackie had teased the idea of a second marriage for her and a fourth for him before the school girl mind took over and she was back in her right mind again. Trying to think while experiencing orgasm after orgasm is impossible; the chemicals that occur in the brain insure that. But she had been lying on his chest, listening to his heart beat and had a warm sense of comfort. Aside from the ravaged, 'what the hell did I just do' feeling that coursed through her and aside from the constant 'now what' chorus in her head, there was something nice here.

Cruz cleared his throat as he came into the kitchen and she turned around. "At least you managed to find clothes..." She said with a joking tone. He looked over her for a moment and gave her that sideways smile she always wanted to slap off his face. His hair was loosely hanging over one side of his face, almost covering one of his eyes like a veil and for a moment they seemed to share the same kind of uneasy expression.

"I don't-" They both started and Jackie fell quiet as Miguel just watched her, waiting for her to say something else or for the silence to become so thick that it choked the life out of both of them.

"These last few weeks have been difficult..."

"I never realized how much I liked talking to him..."

Cruz smiled, a little gentler this time and moved further into the kitchen. He had on a wife beater and a pair of black sweatpants, Jackie went to move out of his way although before she could his arms had captured her again.

"I listened to your messages, all of them...that last one...I considered calling the phone just to see what kind of reaction you would have had..."

"You're cruel like that." The last message Jackie had left on the phone had been about a botched date with the cop, she couldn't concentrate and after spending an entire night together talking about every which thing they couldn't find a topic that night. Her message had consisted of how nervous she was and how much she would have rathered just get a handful of pills, crush them up and snort them all.

_I miss you kid...and sometimes I call your phone and I keep thinking, I've got to be crazy. But I'd only be crazy if you picked up one day right?_ That stabbing silence was going to have to stop between these two and without much warning, Jackie gently ran her hand alongside of Mike's face, cupping it and looked into his surprisingly soft brown eyes, leaning up onto her toes she kissed him. It was gentle, almost as though she was sending out feelers. He returned it before letting her back down onto her bare feet again and smirked.

"Hmm..."

"Hmm?" She imitated him and had the rush of heat lick up through her body, she wanted him to take her back to bed, and while she knew she shouldn't. What with Eddie and Kevin and the cop still hanging around, she wanted something that was bad for her...and that might turn out of be something good. Mike's mind was a float with probably a hundred things, the most important of which seemed to be how good she looked in his dress shirt and how much he wanted it back on the floor.

His movements were fast and would have surprised her if she hadn't wanted them so much. He picked her up as though she weighed virtually nothing and set her on the island behind them, his mouth on hers, crushing her lips, his hands were flat against her back as he pulled her hips against his own. Jackie was relatively handy with her feet and had managed to push his pants back off of him again. He was inside of her before either of them could think and it felt good.

Desire is a terrible thing. It can lead to situations that no one sees coming.

The kitchen rampage escalated into the bedroom and carried on into the late hours of the afternoon. Eventually culminating with Jackie once again laying on top of Mike, one of his hands in her hair, the other's fingers were running up and down her arm. He was awake still, pacified a bit, watching the woman as she lay with her head on his chest, listening to her slow and even breathing.

"This wasn't how I planned it."

"Was there ever a plan?"

"No."


End file.
